1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus of the electrophotography type or the electro-static recording type. The invention also relates to a cartridge used for the image forming apparatus, and a method for controlling such image forming apparatus as the well.
More particularly, the invention relates to a cartridge provided with a container that contains toner cleaned off from the surface of an image bearing member that bears the toner. The invention also relates to an image forming apparatus, and a method for controlling the image forming apparatus, which comprises a storing step to store toner in the container.
2. Related Background Art
An image forming apparatus, such as a printer, forms latent images by exposing selectively or the image bearing member, which is uniformly charged by a charging device. Then, by a developing device, the latent images are visualized with the developer (toner), and the images visualized with the developer are transferred to a recording medium for image recording. After the transfer, the developer remaining on the image bearing member is removed by a cleaning blade to store it in the cleaning container. The next exposure is then performed by the image bearing member whose surface has been cleaned.
In recent years, it has been practiced that the image bearing member, the charging device, the developing device, the cleaning portion, the waste toner box, and others are put together into the integrated structure of a cartridge. As a result, the user can mount the cartridge on the apparatus main body so that parts of the image bearing member and the developer can be exchanged, and maintenance can be effected easier. Further, along with prolonging life of the image bearing member and increasing the printable sheet numbers, the developing device limited supply capability is arranged as an independent unit, and there are provided separately the developing cartridge, and the drum cartridge which is a process cartridge having the image bearing member as an image forming process means, the charging device, and the cleaning portion integrally. In this way, as in the case of the aforesaid process cartridge having the developing device and the image bearing member unitized therein, it is made easier to mount the drum cartridge on the apparatus main body, and also, it is made easier to maintain this type of cartridge. Furthermore, it is made possible to use these cartridges effectively, depending on the life of the respective main parts appropriately. For the drum cartridge, the waste toner cleaned off in the cleaning operation is stored in the cleaning container whose capacity is large enough to store it sufficiently during the life of the image bearing member. Then, the waste toner is removed when the drum cartridge should be replaced.
As an image forming apparatus of the kind, there is the one disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-039692. In accordance with such disclosure, an advance warning is given for replacement when the storage container that stores the cleaned-off waste toner is filled in it, and then, the printing is made executable in order to count the sheet numbers of print to be made. In this way, the "full up" detection is made possible. After that, the operation of the apparatus main body is suspended when a predetermined number of the sheets is printed out.
However, the method disclosed in the publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-039692 is arranged to count the sheet numbers to be printed after the replacement warning has been given when the storage container is filled. For example, therefore, when a monoblack image, an image having a lower print ratio, which may bring about a smaller amount of waste toner, should be printed in a considerable number of sheets, there is a case where the operation of the apparatus main body is subjected to suspension eventually, irrespective of the condition in which any damage may be caused the main body even if printing is still admitted to continue.